Real Estate Community Forum

I have an apartment and my landlord has told me that he has had some bad tenants in the past who left the apartment in a disaster. To avoid this from happening again, he has told me that he will make a few unannounced visits to inspect the apartment. When I heard this, I felt very violated because there might be times when I don't want to see anybody, this includes a landlord. Now I have to constantly be aware that my landlord can make a sudden appearance. Who wants to put up with this? Can he really do this? Are there any rights to protect a tenant from an annoying landlord?

Generally speaking, when you have rented an apartment, no one may enter without your permission. If your landlord enters the apartment without your permission, your landlord is trespassing.

In addition, as a tenant you are entitled to prior notice before your landlord may enter the apartment. If there is an emergency situation that needs to be dealt with immediately (for example, bursting pipes, an electrical problem affecting other apartment or an extreme sanitation problem), your landlord may enter the apartment without your permission.

Ok, remember we live in America and we have a right to privacy. Your landlord has crossed the line and even if your lease says he/she can come and go as they please in your apartment, it may be against public policy and the law.

I would send the landlord a very specific letter requesting that he/she cease and desist such activity immediately. It seems clear to me that if the behavior continues you may have the right to void the lease.

Remember you need to keep a paper trial of the offensive behavior. Maybe even a video while you are not home.

It sounds like it is time to move on...no pun intended.

Hope the above helps and good luck

I agree with you. I would not want to a surprise visit from my landlord to inspect the way I live. I am a very clean person, but lets all face it, there are days when you don't have the time to make sure all the dishes are clean and your bathroom tub is scrubbed. With my luck, the landlord would come on that day! I think your landlord need to respect your privacy and be courteous. Maybe you just need to talk with him and set up a schedule when he is welcomed to come visit, such as the last day of the month. You might also consider the possibility of notifying him that certain days of the week are good for a visit. That way you can plan ahead.

Hopefully he is understanding and will work with you.

I can understand why a landlord wants to make a surprise visit. It's his property and he wants to make sure you are keeping it nice and clean. I had a similar situation where my landlord came over to see how everything was and if I needed something. I was thankful for the visit, but I think this was his way to get a sneak peak at how the place looked. Once he saw that the place was well kept, he never came back again. I suppose that visit was enough to assure him that I wasn't wreaking the place. Sometimes you just need to go with the flow and keep your place looking descent. Once you gain your landlord's trust, he probably wont be back again to make a surprise visit.

How about a landlord's need to keep an eye out on the outside of the house. We have a tenent who does not take out their trash and it piles up in huge mountains and then the stray dogs get into it and drag it all over the place. Can a landlord drive by to make sure the yard is being kept up per the lease?

heyjude